150-Foot Banana Split Scooped Up in Willmar, Minnesota

March 15, 2012

“Holy cow, this thing is long,” exclaimed one student as he dug into the banana split yesterday afternoon at the Willmar Community Christian School in Willmar, Minnesota (population 19,610).

The epic effort began that morning, with the schoolkids pitching in to slice up 40 pounds of bananas, and continued through the scooping of the ice cream and squirting on of multiple bottles of topping. The outdoor event — and remember that spring comes late to this part of the state, due west of the Twin Cities, in farming country — was part of the annual Spirit Week celebration.

Though, at 150 feet, the sundae was long, it comes nowhere near the world’s record — which was 4.55 miles, and involved 33,000 bananas and 2,500 gallons of ice cream. It was made in 1988 in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

On an odd side note: I believe Willmar is the hometown of Washington Post critic (and my fifth cousin) Tom Sietsema.